Chapter 135 - It’s Been Over a Week!

  Adam remained silent, his gaze fixed on the still form of the fallen goddess. The words whispered into his mind by Malzaphir echoed with an uncomfortable weight, stirring something deep within him—conflict, hesitation, doubt. The archdevil had suggested, no, tempted him with a single, cruel solution: overwrite the goddess’s damaged mind with something stronger. Use the [Soulcrusher Virus]—the same parasitic skill that had altered the minds of others before—and burn away what was left of Arianka’s broken will.

  But this time, it wasn’t a beast, or a rival, or even an enemy. It was a divine being.

  He remained still, the wind shifting around him as his thoughts twisted sharply in his chest. His arm had already begun to move, and the flesh around his forearm pulsed slightly, dark energy writhing beneath the surface. A thin, bone-colored tendril started to form, emerging from just beneath the skin, glistening with his cursed blood.

  It was the catalyst—his signature method of infection. With one mental command, the tendril could extend, cut, and activate the virus. His body was already prepared. For a second, he leaned forward, hand poised, the tendril pulsing with potential, ready to act.

  But something made him stop… A flash of memory surged into his mind. Not from the battle just fought, but from what came before it. The past two scenarios. Two different sets of people, two different situations, and betrayal—but the same pattern. He had listened, he had trusted, he had obeyed what others claimed to be “necessary.” And both times, it had led to disaster. He had been used, twisted into someone else’s tool.

  He had sworn not to repeat that mistake.

  He clenched his fist slowly, letting the blood rush away from his skin. Something about this didn’t feel right. It was too easy. Malzaphir wasn’t trying to manipulate the situation with careful logic—he was enjoying this. The archdevil’s amusement was never without purpose. Adam knew the [Soulcrusher Virus] could overwrite minds, but that didn’t mean it would be favorable. He had seen it happen. He had used it on Kurayami once, Kazue’s companion, to overwrite years of abuse. But even that had come at a cost. Kurayami didn’t become “better.” He had simply replaced one core of pain with a different identity—one centered on Adam.

  Doing that to a goddess? That would be even more dangerous than just leaving her there… Adam closed his eyes and breathed out.

  “No...”

  Malzaphir's presence stirred faintly within his mind, and for once, the archdevil's tone wasn’t mocking or amused. It was flat, almost bored.

  “Ah. What a shame. I had expected more entertainment from you.”

  However, Adam didn’t flinch and said sharply.

  “You are not understanding, be quiet.”

  The boy’s eyes opened again, gaze calm but sharp.

  “I’m not doing it your way. You’re right about one thing—leaving her in this state is dangerous. But I won’t fix a broken system by gluing a new one over it. If I’m going to risk something, I’m going to do it properly. I’m going to make it mine. Fully.”

  Malzaphir hesitated, as if trying to decipher the boy’s meaning.

  “…What are you planning, vile human?”

  Adam didn’t answer. A faint smirk crossed his lips.

  “Just watch the show.”

  With that, Adam dismissed the voice chat connection with Meera in an instant. She looked up from below, startled.

  “Huh? Wait—Big bro? What are you—?”

  He didn’t respond. His expression turned calm, and he descended alone. Landing gently beside Arianka's unmoving head, Adam placed one hand against her smooth, radiant surface. The divine glow under her skin was still faintly visible but dormant. He pressed his fingers against it, then closed his eyes. The cursed energy within him began to rise, not gradually but in a single, focused surge… It erupted.

  A violent gust of black wind burst outward from his body, a wave of corrupted Ki and necrotic energy that instantly warped the very air. The marble beneath his feet cracked in all directions. Pieces of stone lifted into the air as if gravity had weakened. The very fabric of the Eternal Garden seemed to flinch. The sky darkened.

  Meera recoiled instinctively, her chakram rotating in alarm beneath her. Euphemia, still hovering in mourning, snapped her head toward the source and screamed.

  “What are you doing?! Stop! Leave Lady Arianka alone!”

  But Adam did not stop. His voice rang out clearly over the chaos.

  “As long as she remains infected, she’s a threat. So if she must stay infected—then it’ll be MY infection.”

  The energy around him intensified to a degree that made the air tremble. Dark tendrils of corrupted power slithered out of his body, sharpening into wicked, bone-pale spikes. They moved with intelligent intent, arcing forward and piercing deep into the flesh of the goddess without hesitation. Each strike sent out a ripple of divine backlash—but it was too late. His curse had already entered her.

  System windows exploded into his vision, one after another.

  The ground split open beneath Adam as the corrupted divine energy surged outward. The body of the goddess began to convulse violently, not from consciousness but from the overwhelming invasion of foreign power. The divine light within her sputtered, twisted, then flared in jagged, broken pulses. Veins of black energy began to spread across her form like spiderwebs etched in ink.

  Above them, the clouds broke and a bolt of lightning, impossibly wide and colored gold and crimson, fell from the sky and struck Adam dead center.

  The impact lit up the sky, consuming the space around him in radiant white.

  But he did not fall. The divine curse meant to punish him—[Wrath of the Lower Gods]—collapsed within his body, only to be reversed entirely. His eyes snapped open, glowing faintly with necrotic light. His power surged even higher, not weakened, but strengthened by the failed divine retaliation. The gods had cursed him… And their curse had made him stronger.

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  A wave of corrupted air blasted out from him again, like a shockwave, knocking back even the floating marble around Arianka’s body. Meera watched in frozen awe, still holding Kazue tightly. Euphemia stared, mouth wide, unable to process what she was witnessing.

  The last of the system windows faded from view, their luminous edges dissolving into the broken sky as silence reclaimed the battlefield. Adam, however, had barely registered them. He had seen the flurry of warnings, the cascade of impossible notifications, but his focus had been entirely on maintaining the ritual—on guiding the combined curse into Arianka’s fractured divine essence without losing control. The sheer amount of power he had forced through her had pushed his limits far past anything he had attempted before. Every breath he took now came with effort, as if his lungs were heavy with ash.

  His hand slid away from the enormous face of the goddess. The moment his palm lost contact, the tendrils buried deep in her flesh recoiled all at once. They withdrew with swift precision, retracting into his body like reverse lightning. The final pulse of corruption dissipated as the last of his energy left her form.

  Adam staggered backward, and, for a moment, he swayed, his vision blurring at the edges. He almost dropped to his knees, barely catching himself with one foot half-planted behind him. He could feel his body screaming, not in pain, but exhaustion—the aftermath of burning through every drop of resistance he had in order to bend the will of a divine creature to his own. And yet… he allowed himself a breath of satisfaction.

  He had done it. Somehow, impossibly, he had done it. A familiar sound echoed behind him—the hum of Meera’s chakram descending. She jumped off as it came to a halt and ran toward him at once.

  “Big bro!”

  She called, skidding slightly on the fractured marble as she reached him.

  “Hey, are you okay? What was that just now? What the hell did you do?!”

  Before he could answer, another cry broke through the space, more distant, more emotional.

  “Lady Arianka...!”

  Euphemia flew toward the collapsed body of the goddess, her wings fluttering erratically. She dropped to her knees beside the unmoving head and pressed her hands against the shimmering skin, sobbing uncontrollably.

  “She’s not gone... right? I don’t feel her anymore, not like before... but she’s not gone... please...”

  Adam took a breath, steadying himself. He turned toward Meera first.

  “She was still infected.”

  He said simply.

  “Zha’vrin said the core skill was removed, but the mental damage remained. That meant she could still be hostile when she woke up. I had to do something.”

  Meera’s eyes lingered on him, trying to read more from his tone than he gave.

  “But… what did you do? Do you know if it even worked?”

  She pressed. Adam sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly.

  “It’s the best I could do. Honestly, I have no idea what she’ll be like when she wakes up. But she’s stable now. For what that’s worth.”

  Meera looked at him a moment longer, then gave a slow nod.

  “Okay, fine, I believe you… You’ve always been right before. Even when I didn’t understand, you were always right.”

  She said simply. The trust in her voice made Adam pause. He knew it came from the rewritten memories the [Soulcrusher Virus] had given her. In her mind, he was her older brother—someone she had looked up to all her life. That level of blind confidence wasn’t earned… but it felt real nonetheless. He looked away.

  “For now, we just need to find a way out of here.”

  But Meera raised a hand quickly, stopping him.

  “Wait… Zha’vrin contacted me just now… Didn’t explain much about what you just pulled off, but he told me to pass along something.”

  Adam narrowed his eyes.

  “What?”

  Meera cleared her throat.

  “He said… and I quote… ‘Tell that boy it was a good effort for someone like him.’”

  Adam blinked, a beat passed, and then Malzaphir’s laughter erupted inside his head again. Meera made a face and mimicked Zha’vrin’s voice poorly.

  “He also said that you did a favor for someone he owed, so in return, he’s going to get us out of this place. Now that Arianka’s authority has been severed, he can bypass the system and get us out of the divine realm.”

  Adam’s expression changed instantly.

  “Wait. No—stop. Wait!”

  But he was too late. A flash of light swallowed everything, and in less than a second, the world folded inward.

  When his vision returned, Adam staggered slightly. The weightless sensation of transit between realms was gone, but the nausea lingered. His boots scraped against solid ground—stone, dust, broken glass. His hand reached out instinctively, catching a half-shattered pillar to regain his balance.

  The light around him had changed. The soft celestial glow of the Eternal Garden was gone. In its place was red mist, a burning skyline, and the sound of wind rustling through shattered walls. Crumbling towers surrounded him. Blackened streets lay cracked beneath him. And yet, it was a place he knew.

  “…Velmoria.”

  He muttered. Meera appeared beside him, stumbling slightly as she rebalanced herself with Kazue still unconscious in her arms.

  “Ugh… Where the hell are we? Do you recognize this place?”

  She asked, trying to focus on the ruined scenery. Adam turned slowly, taking in the collapsed architecture and shattered arches.

  “Yes. It’s the capital of the vampires. Velmoria, but…”

  He said, brow furrowing.

  “It’s worse than I remember. Even after the paladins attacked, it wasn’t like this. Something else happened here.”

  Meera looked around again, confused.

  “It looks like a warzone.”

  Adam nodded slowly.

  “It does.”

  Before either of them could say more, a distant voice echoed down the street, strong and urgent.

  “Adam!”

  Adam turned the moment he heard his name being called. His body reacted before his thoughts did, and he instinctively raised his guard. However, a familiar voice echoed down the ruined street, and soon, a familiar figure emerged from between two collapsed buildings.

  It was Drake, he was running at full speed, fancy shoes smashing through loose debris without slowing. His expression was tense—no, worried—but that worry transformed instantly as soon as his eyes fell upon Meera. The sight of her standing beside Adam, holding Kazue in her arms, triggered something violent in him. His normally calm blue eyes flared with intensity. Adam saw the moment it happened. A golden shimmer crossed Drake’s vision, the telltale sign of [Heavenly Vision] activating.

  "Dragon Utopia!"

  Drake roared. His body vanished the next instant, propelled by the sheer explosive speed of [Heavenly Wind Step]. The wind cracked behind him as he launched like a missile. He reappeared an instant later—right behind Meera—with his fist raised and aimed at her back.

  Meera didn’t even have time to react. She was caught completely off guard, not expecting hostility and still burdened with Kazue’s weight.

  But Adam was faster. His body dissolved into spectral mist as he activated [Spectral Mist Step], emerging in front of the woman in less than a heartbeat. With his right hand, he caught Drake’s punch directly, muscle and bone reinforced by his passive [Superhuman Strength].

  The impact sent a brutal wave of force up Adam’s arm. His feet slid several meters back across the ground. His wrist throbbed with pain. But he didn’t let go.

  "Drake! Stop!"

  The blond’s expression twisted in confusion and anger.

  "What are you doing?! She’s from Dragon Utopia! She could’ve—!"

  "I know who she is!"

  Adam said firmly, cutting him off. Drake’s eyes narrowed.

  "Then why—?"

  "She’s not our enemy."

  Adam said, holding his ground even as the pain in his shoulder screamed at him. Drake looked between him and Meera, then at Kazue, still unconscious. He clenched his jaw.

  "She’s holding Kazue. That’s enough of a reason."

  "She saved her, she’s the reason Kazue is alive."

  Adam said. That gave Drake pause, but only slightly.

  "Then explain it. Because nothing about this makes sense."

  His knuckles remained white from the tension in his hand.

  "I will, but not like this. Where is everyone?"

  Meera, who had remained silent through the confrontation, glanced nervously between the two of them.

  "Um... can someone explain why I almost got punched for carrying your girlfriend?"

  Adam sighed. Drake growled. But before either of them could reply, Meera tilted her head and added casually.

  "Also, I’d prefer if you didn’t hit your sister’s friends."

  Drake’s eyes snapped to her again.

  "Sister?"

  Adam stiffened.

  "That’s not—"

  "He’s my brother, obviously."

  Meera said with a bright, clueless smile. Drake stared at Adam, utterly bewildered.

  "What the hell is going on?"

  Adam muttered under his breath.

  "It’s... complicated."

  Drake finally relented, though his posture remained tense.

  "Fine. We talk later. But right now, we need to move."

  After another moment, he exhaled sharply and lowered his fists.

  "Where’s the rest of the team?"

  Adam asked. Drake glanced at Meera, then returned his focus to Adam.

  "We’re hiding. What’s left of WNATN and the last few vampire and giant groups are with us. I’ll explain while we move."

  Adam nodded. Meera shifted Kazue slightly in her arms. Drake’s eyes locked on the motion.

  "Give her to me."

  He said. His voice was calm, but the demand was clear. Meera hesitated, then nodded slowly and passed Kazue into his arms with care. Drake took her gently, adjusting her against his chest.

  Without another word, they began to run… The ruined streets of Velmoria blurred around them as they moved, leaping over collapsed buildings, dashing through alleyways, and shattered markets. The city was barely recognizable now.

  "What happened while we were gone?"

  Adam said while Drake kept his eyes ahead as he ran.

  "You’ve been gone ten days. In that time, everything fell apart. Dragon Utopia made their move."

  Adam frowned.

  "What kind of move?"

  Drake’s voice darkened.

  "They took control of the Human Empire."

  "How?!"

  "No one knows exactly, but it started when the paladins stopped receiving responses from their goddess. Rumors spread fast. One of the members of Dragon Utopia used their abilities to pretend they were a direct messenger from the goddess."

  Drake replied. Adam’s stomach turned.

  "They’ve declared full holy crusades; anyone not part of the Empire is now being hunted. Whole cities have been wiped out. We barely escaped a few ourselves."

  Drake continued. Adam’s voice was quiet.

  "And the team?"

  The blond hesitated.

  "Sebastian is in critical condition."

  Adam stopped cold, and Drake slowed, but didn’t stop moving entirely.

  "He was injured two days ago. WNATN had a secure location. Emir and Chloe were stationed there. But someone betrayed us. One of their own gave away the coordinates."

  Adam’s expression tightened.

  "Who attacked?"

  "The leader of Dragon Utopia herself, we don’t know what she wanted. She showed up out of nowhere. Emir and Chloe weren’t prepared. Sebastian returned just in time to help them escape. He fought her alone."

  Drake said with a darker expression.

  "He was stabbed through the side. He barely survived. Katya arrived just in time to teleport him out. If she hadn’t—"

  He didn’t finish. Adam’s fist clenched. His jaw locked tight. Even Meera’s face had lost all playfulness. She looked shaken.

  "That… does sound like something Solène would’ve done."

  She muttered, more to herself than anyone. Adam didn’t speak, but his thoughts were burning.